A few years back I was fortunate enough to be covering an amazing exhibit for another Disney fan site that I was writing for. I’m sure I would’ve gone to see this show anyway, but there I found myself, walking around the Pixar: 20 years of Animation exhibit at the MOMA in New York. Not a bad day’s work really.
I expected to enjoy the show. After all, as a lifelong Disney fan, lifelong animation fan and lifelong moviegoer, what’s not to like? What I didn’t expect was to be completely blown away by the sheer volume of concept drawings, sketches and paintings being exhibited. I’m not sure why I was so surprised. Perhaps, like most people, I forget that the artists at Pixar are just that: artists. That, despite the digital medium that they work in, everything starts with a pencil and paper.
The people at Pixar are at the top of their game and are as close to Walt’s original troupe of artists as anyone has ever been, and may ever be. Still, the staggering level of artistry and attention to detail was an amazing sight to see. I spent a full day at MOMA soaking up everything and gaining an even deeper appreciation for Pixar’s incredible body of work. It was an easy review to write.
What I wanted most was something to take home with me as a reminder of the wonderful artwork I spent the day looking at. The official catalogue of the exhibit had long sold out and amazingly was not being reprinted. What I found was a box of 100 collectible postcards. The outside of the box showed mostly film images from the various Pixar films and a few concept drawings, so I thought it would be better than nothing and maybe they would surprise me.
As a collectible hunter, an antique buyer and general junk shop junkie, the following statement is pretty strong: This was one of the best $17 I ever spent. As opposed to all of the wonderful “Art of” books that are published whenever a Pixar movie is released, these can be examined more closely and best of all, they can be framed and displayed. Not to mention there are 100 cards, so you can change your display as often as you like.
There are many actual screen images like this one from Toy Story 2:
Toy Story 2 Film Image. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
The ones that I like best and the things I loved seeing at the exhibit were the concept drawings. It’s always intriguing to me to see where a character started out and to witness the process that the artists went through in creating these films that are so important to us.
Take these early drawings of Buzz Lightyear for example:
Toy Story Concept Art by Nilo Radis. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
Here’s a great image of Woody discovering his true identity in Al’s room full of “Woody’s Roundup” collectibles:
Toy Story 2 Concept Art by Randy Berrett. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
Here’s some concept art of Jesse and her owner Emily from what is definitely one of the must heart wrenching sequences in any movie, live or animated:
Toy Story 2 Storyboard by Jill Culton. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
Take a look at an early glimpse of Boo and Sulley:
Monsters, Inc. Concept Art by Jill Culton. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
How about this piece of concept art of Flik that seems pretty true to the finished film?
A Bug's Life Concept Art by Mark Holmes. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
Here’s a nice drawing of Dory and a handful of turtles, one of which is presumably Crush’s son Squirt:
Finding Nemo Concept Art by Ralph Eggleston. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
I always really liked these angular illustrations of The Incredibles similar to the ones used in the ending credits of the film:
The Incredibles End Credit Art by Teddy Newton. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
This image of Doc Hudson from Cars has a definite Impressionistic look to it:
Cars Concept Art by Bill Cone. © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios.
Pixar’s animated shorts aren’t left out. Check out this piece of concept art from my favorite short, For The Birds:
For The Birds Concept Art by Ralph Eggleston. © Pixar Animation Studios.
These are only 10 examples of what you’ll find in this great little box. Trust me, it was tough to narrow down from 100. They are all printed on quality heavyweight paper and are very suitable for framing. I haven’t framed them yet—I suppose I’m out of wall space at the moment. There’s a definite plan to frame them up and display them someplace in the house in the future.
If you missed the original exhibit, these cards are a great way of experiencing some of what you missed. If you were fortunate enough to catch the show as I was, this is a worthy keepsake, especially for the price. The box can be found on the Internet. I’ve seen it on Amazon and several other sites as well. Go out and find yourself a set. You won’t be disappointed.
On a related note, I think a more permanent display of this amazing Pixar work is due. Here’s to hoping that someday, everyone could tour through an Art of Pixar type exhibit at say…maybe…California Adventure or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I’d love to hear some of your opinions on that.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time with some more of that great Disney Stuff.
